Post

NPR
@npr.org

Data centers consume large amounts of power and require upgrading infrastructure. But it's difficult to determine how much residential customers benefit and how much they actually pay for the benefit.

n.prAI data centers: How much are ratepayers on the hook for?Data centers consume large amounts of power and require upgrading infrastructure. But it's difficult to determine how much residential customers benefit and how much they actually pay for the benefit.

28 reposts160 likes

Ronnie Colvin, MS, CFP®
@moneyeducator.bsky.social

There is no benefit. No meaningful number of jobs are created after the initial construction phase, and even those construction jobs aren't normally locally hired, which means no payroll taxes being collected, no extra spending in the local economy. No benefit for the local community at all.

Matt
@mattmark.bsky.social

You know, there’s a running story about one neighbor who downloads a lot of data in the neighborhood. The neighbors experience disconnects and other poor services. When they ask the ISP, the ISP says the bandwidth for the neighborhood is tapped. It’s the same with these data centers/campuses.

Now What??
@mraulston.word.expert

Here's a clue, @npr.org Consumers, aka the people who have to live with these climate killing monstrosities, do not benefit AT ALL. Can you show me ANYONE who is not a tech bro oligarch who has benefitted from any of this? I'll wait....

Fava Bean
@fava.bsky.social

Now you're lying to us about how electricity costs are impacted by data centers? We can all see our bills! FFS, NPR. You really are determined to make sure I redirect every penny that I used to give to you to other journalism instead.

PhillyGinger
@phillyginger.bsky.social

Well from what I can see with my bill going through the roof there are two charges usage and production my usage charge hasn't gone up but somehow the production charge has gone through the roof. Now what newly built thing in my area could be making production need to go through the roof????

SheaReinke he/we
@sheareinke.bsky.social

I saw plans for a data center that had contained power a decade ago. This is mal information. They broke the original plans to fund their fucking fundies. There was a micro nuclear reactor. 🤬🤬🤬

Kate6
@kate6.bsky.social

It's also difficult to determine how many consumers would be buying hardware that can run LLM's locally right now if data centers weren't driving its price sky high.

democracyrocks.bsky.social
@democracyrocks.bsky.social

They also use massive amounts of water. When they flush the water they used for cooling its polluted with forever chemicals. So your water bill goes up, you might run out of water AND your water will now give you cancer.